Introduction:
Protecting children from the dangers of the internet has become a national and humanitarian issue in an era where screens have become windows through which children view the world. With the increasing reliance on the digital space for education, entertainment, and social interaction, this responsibility extends beyond the family to encompass state institutions and society as a whole.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that the new generation faces a digital environment that offers significant opportunities but also presents challenges related to misinformation, artificial intelligence, privacy protection, and the ability to use technology safely and responsibly.
In Syria, where children already suffer the brunt of war and displacement, these risks are exacerbated, posing a double threat: a digital danger added to a real-world one, in a complex situation that demands urgent and comprehensive intervention.
First, the scale of the phenomenon:
International statistics indicate that the digital safety crisis for children has reached alarming levels.
According to figures from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 130 million students worldwide are victims of bullying, a problem exacerbated by the spread of digital technologies.
UNICEF estimates that one in three students aged 13 to 15 are victims of bullying.
The figures are even more alarming when it comes to online sexual exploitation.
Around 80% of children in 25 countries reported feeling at risk of online sexual abuse or exploitation.
In a UN report, more than a third of young people in 30 countries reported experiencing cyberbullying, resulting in one in five missing school as a result.
Data from Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) reveals the scale of the problem, with approximately 15 million posts containing bullying and harassment content detected on its platforms in the third quarter of 2023 alone.
These figures confirm that the digital space is no longer just a virtual environment, but has become a real arena for violence and abuse, the effects of which extend to children’s daily lives.
Global statistics indicate that approximately 77% of people aged 15 to 24 used the internet in 2023, meaning that the vast majority of young people are exposed to these risks daily.
Secondly, Intertwined Risks:
The risks facing children in the digital space are diverse and intertwined, forming a complex web of threats:
- Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is one of the most widespread and impactful risks. The Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations, Nada Al-Nashif, warned that online bullying is “complex” and intersects with human rights and digital issues. She emphasized that children who are bullied are more likely to miss school, perform worse on tests, and may suffer from insomnia and psychosomatic pain.
She noted that some studies also show “long-term effects that extend into adulthood,” such as an increased likelihood of depression and unemployment.
The Human Rights Council heard a powerful testimony from 15-year-old Santa Rose Marie, a child rights advocate from Uganda, who said that once personal information or intimate images are shared online, a child is unable to face the community they live in, or even their parents. She warned that such situations can drive a child to suicide when they “have this feeling that society doesn’t need them.” - Sexual Exploitation and Blackmail
Online sexual exploitation is one of the most serious threats facing children. Never before has it been easier for perpetrators of child sex crimes to reach their potential victims, share images, and encourage others to commit crimes than it is today in the digital age.
This is done through fake accounts, where perpetrators ask children to send personal photos or information about their lives, then threaten to publish them in order to obtain money or secret meetings. - Harmful Content and Misinformation
A UNICEF report revealed that children expressed concern about the spread of fake news and inaccurate content, noting that younger age groups may be more susceptible to such content due to limited skills in verifying and distinguishing between reliable and unreliable information. The report also indicated that some teenagers are concerned about over-reliance on artificial intelligence tools, believing that their uncritical use could impair their ability to think and analyze independently.
Third, the Syrian Reality:
In Syria, where children are suffering the brunt of war and displacement, digital risks are exacerbated by the fragility of families and the weakness of infrastructure.
According to UNICEF, 5 million children in Syria live amidst the hidden dangers of landmines and explosive remnants of war, with more than 324,000 explosive items still threatening their lives.
In this tragic reality, the dangers of the internet become yet another threat added to the long list of risks surrounding Syrian children.
A report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) highlights tragic cases of online exploitation of children and adolescents in northwest Syria. Young men deceive girls under the guise of love, demanding personal photos and then threatening to publish them. This leads to dire consequences, including suicide and forced marriage in some cases.
This phenomenon is exacerbated by a lack of awareness. A national study on violence against children revealed that a significant percentage of children in refugee camps had not received any education about the dangers of online violence, with 76.5% of boys and 62.1% of girls reporting this lack of awareness.
Fourth, Leading International Experiences:
In response to these challenges, several countries have developed integrated strategies to protect children in the digital space, some of which can be adapted to the Syrian context.
- The Moroccan Model:
Morocco launched a national program to raise awareness about the protection of personal data. The program, titled “Be Aware,” aims to familiarize children, youth, and families with the concepts of digital privacy protection and encourage the responsible use of technology.
The program adopts a participatory approach, bringing together government agencies, educational institutions, and families, and is based on Law 09.08, which is the primary legislative framework in Morocco for protecting privacy. - The Omani Model:
In Oman, the directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq regarding the evaluation of children’s use of digital platforms and the development of regulations and mechanisms to govern them have formed a comprehensive national framework for protecting youth in the digital space.
These directives focus on achieving a balance between benefiting from the advantages of digital transformation and protecting youth from its risks, thereby enhancing their digital safety and preserving their values and national identity. - The Global Model:
At the international level, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) launched the Child Online Safety Initiative, a multi-stakeholder network that aims to raise awareness of children’s safety in the digital world and develop practical tools to assist governments, industry, and educators.
The ITU Guidelines are a comprehensive set of recommendations for all stakeholders on how to contribute to building a safe and enabling environment for children and young people.
UNICEF also supports the “Preventing Harm” and “Children of the World Online” projects to gather evidence on children’s digital rights, opportunities, and risks, with the aim of better understanding the role of digital technology in their lives and when it may increase their risk of harm.
Fifth, Towards a National Strategy for Child Digital Protection:
Based on the vision of the Syrian Future Movement to build a state of law and institutions, and in light of the above, we propose a comprehensive national strategy for child protection in the digital space, based on the following pillars:
Pillar One: Awareness and Education
- Integrating digital safety into school curricula: Teaching children from a young age how to protect their data, interact cautiously with the digital world, and distinguish between safe and harmful content. A UNICEF report showed that children express a desire to “receive early training on technology, to understand how digital tools work, and to know their benefits and risks, before being given broad access to them.”
- Family Awareness Programs: Providing courses for parents on internet risks and methods of protecting children, enabling them to keep pace with their children in the digital world. As the UNICEF report emphasizes, “Protection is no longer solely about parental control programs, but also about building a digital literacy within the child, the family, and the school.”
Second Focus: Legal Protection
- Legislation Development: Enacting laws that protect children from digital exploitation, criminalize cyber extortion, and impose deterrent penalties on platforms that fail to comply with child protection standards. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends that states take strong measures, including enacting legislation, to protect children from harmful and misleading content.
- Activating Reporting Mechanisms: Establishing hotlines and online platforms to report cases of cyber extortion and bullying, while ensuring the protection of whistleblowers. The Deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed the “centrality and power of companies in cyberspace” and their responsibility to provide adequate privacy tools.
Third Axis: Safety at the Core of Design
- Pushing Technology Companies: Working to redesign digital platforms to be automatically safe, rather than trying to shield children from a dangerous world. The UNICEF report emphasized the importance of “adopting digital systems that protect children’s privacy from the design stage, not just after problems arise.”
- Developing Parental Control Tools: Providing effective monitoring tools that enable parents to oversee their children’s internet use, while maintaining a balance between protection and privacy.
Fourth Axis: Psychosocial Support
- Establishing Psychosocial Support Centers: Providing specialized centers to treat trauma resulting from cyberbullying or extortion, as UNICEF is currently doing in Syria by creating safe spaces for children.
- Training Staff: Qualifying teachers, psychological counselors, and social workers to deal with cases of digital violence and provide the necessary support to affected children.
Conclusion:
Protecting children in the digital space is no longer a luxury, but a national and humanitarian necessity that requires the combined efforts of families, schools, communities, and the state.
As the UNICEF report emphasized, “Children not only need access to technology, but they also need to learn how to use it safely and responsibly.”
The children themselves expressed their desire to have a voice in discussions about the future of the digital environment they inhabit, stressing that protection “doesn’t just mean making decisions on their behalf, but listening to them and understanding their daily experiences on digital platforms.”
At the Syrian Future Movement, we believe that investing in children’s digital safety is an investment in Syria’s future.
Today’s child, able to navigate the digital world safely, is tomorrow’s citizen, capable of building and contributing to a nation governed by the rule of law and strong institutions, where human rights and dignity are protected.
Let’s make the internet a space for creativity and knowledge, not an arena for fear and extortion. Let’s work together to build a safe digital environment for our children, because their safety today is a guarantee for our future.
